Foods for Heart Health

By: Jacqueline Gomes, RDN, MBA

February is American Heart Month! It’s a great time to support strides to end heart disease and advocate for early prevention, detection and treatment.

 

Optimal hearth health starts with a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains.

  • Whole grains such as whole wheat, oats, quinoa, brown rice & corn provide B-vitamins and fiber.
  • The American Heart association reminds us to consume fish like Cod and Salmon at least twice a week.
  • For meats, choose lean and skinless cuts.
  • And don’t forget about healthier cooking methods like baking, broiling, roasting, grilling or sautéing.
  • Use heart-healthy olive oils such as olive or canola most often.

Fish is one of the easiest proteins to prepare! Cod is a stellar source of protein and has a very mild flavor, for that reason it’s usually a fish most people can enjoy. Let’s kick up the flavor with olives, tomatoes and garlic in this easy Baked Tomato-Olive Cod.

 


Baked Tomato-Olive Cod

a baked tomato olive cod fish on a plate

Prep: 10 minutes

Bake: 20 minutes

Makes: 4 Servings

 

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs Cod filets
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced in half
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 lemon

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degree.
  2. Place cod in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano.
  3. Top with garlic and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil.
  4. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes. If desired can broil top before serving for 3 to 4 minutes to crisp.
  5. Remove from oven and squeeze lemon juice over top. Serve with quinoa, rice or pasta.

 

Nutrition Information:

243 Calories; 4g Carbohydrate; 41g Protein; 6g Fat; 330mg Sodium; 0g Fiber

Recipe: Jacqueline Gomes, RDN, MBA